Icarus - Icky to his friends - is trapped on Crete with his father, Master Daedalus . While Daedalus manages the bloodthirsty Minotaur for the wealthy King and Queen, Icky takes care of three young animals kept to amuse the royals. The animals are Freckles , a spotted hyena, Tuft , a lion cub, and Tree , a baby hippo. The animals, kidnapped from Africa against their will, are desperate to escape from Crete and return to their families. The Minotaur is dangerous, but Crete is haunted by an even greater monster: the Maxotaur . The Maxotaur, a giant cow goddess, is the mother of the Minotaur. Master Daedalus determines the Maxotaur is the source of Crete’s riches. Daedalus sends the animals after the Maxotaur in search of the treasure, which is needed to pay for passage away from Crete. With Icky’s help, Freckles, Tuft and Tree enter the maze of her stomachs, where the animals meet the gut bacteria. Icky and the animals learn Crete’s terrifying secret and are in great peril. Messing with the Myths: The Maxotaur is the first in a series of stories having fun with different mythologies. Make sure to look for more!